Before I contribute to the discussion by answering the (very valid) question asked -- because I think people will probably find my answer surprising -- I want to correct an apparent misconception here. MB, the way you phrased what you said about Munk changing his post after speaking with Anthony indicates that you're lumping that in with the incidents where people felt that Anthony pressured them into changing their posts. Munk changed what he said and deleted his initial post entirely on his own accord -- not because Anthony told him to. He changed his mind, and decided to make the change before even speaking to Anthony, but nobody could believe that it was quite so simple and cried wolf about it. I was with Munk when he saw the movie for the second time as well as when he spoke with Anthony, and I can promise you on every ounce of credibility I have that even though there
were people here who claim that Anthony attempted to get them to make their postings more positive, be they true or not, this was absolutely not one of them. Yes, there was controversey about Anthony's posting here interfering with what people said about the film and I know that you think Anthony's posting here was part of some conspiracy theory, but if you're going to explain what happened, please don't mix up your events. I was there; I know what happened. If you want to know more, feel free to PM me.
Also, no, Anthony hasn't posted here in a while. He did again for a short period after his Sony-imposed hiatus was up and the blogging period ended, but he's not been around in quite some time.
Anyway, on to the topic at hand.
As many remember, I loved the film at the time. I didn't think it was flawless, but I let my love for it override the flaws. And, the truth is, that I think at the time, I needed to love it... after all of that.
But as time's gone by, the things I didn't love about the film have more strongly exposed themselves to me, and I'm sort of experiencing a lot of anger (for lack of a better term) and disappointment in retrospect. I still love the film because it's Rent and I love it for its big heart and
what it is, but I regard it in many ways as a missed opportunity. I think when this movie was made, Columbus, et al. had to make a decision between remaining very faithful to the stage show and creating a film
adaptation of Rent -- as opposed to a film
version of Rent. I don't think Columbus used all at his disposal in the medium of film. The film, to me, was sort of our opportunity to see things about these character's stories that we don't see on stage. There are so many things I wanted to see. But now we never will. And in that sense, I think Columbus sort of blew it. I think the film's spirit came from the cast, and not at all from Columbus' direction. He didn't mutilate the piece, but he couldn't have been the ideal person to do this. He did an okay job, but I'll never stop thinking of what it could've been. I keep thinking of the earlier drafts, which were so much grittier and dirtier than the version we ultimately ended up with. I don't watch the DVD nearly as much as I thought I would. I pick it up every now and then for nostalgia's sake, really. I was fine with the Goodbye Love issue until I
saw the scene and realized how gorgeous it was. Once I saw it, I was mad that it didn't get put into the film. There are so many things about it that I love, and I certainly don't dislike the movie on the whole -- I never could -- but in the past year, a lot of disappointment has set in, which is pretty sad.
At the risk of being typically defensive: that said, having admitted what I just did, please don't put words in my mouth and tell me that my feelings have changed because I've let go of something irrational, or assume that I only felt the way I did because of contact with Anthony on here, or that he brainwashed me or whatever. Yes, Anthony and I spoke about the movie, but I think it's unfair to assume that anyone who admits changed opinions over time does so because they were clouded at the time due to his presence and timely inability to think freely. Minds change in simpler ways; time changes them. Like I said, feel free to PM me if you're curious enough to want to know more, but that's as complex an explanation as I'm willing to post on the boards.
A work of art is an invitation to love.
Updated On: 12/31/06 at 11:35 PM
